Compo-board and process of producing same.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907 J.E.LAPPEN. GOMPO BOARD AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.4. 1904.

. .251 ventoz". JamesZLZ) appe/i. 2y #425 #07776? UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. LAPPEN, OF DECORAH, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T L. L. c; BROOKS AND F. M. CATLIN, on T. PAUL, MINNESOTA. COMPO-BOARD AND PROCESS OF Pnoouome. SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4,1907.

Application filed October 4,1 04. Serial No. 2 7,092.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. LAPPEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decorah, in the county of Vvinneshiek and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compo-Boards and Processes of Producing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a -new and useful com osition board, which for brevity may becal ed compo board; and to this end, my invention consists of the novel compo board, and the novel process of producing the same, hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accomanying drawings, wherein like notations reer to like parts throughout the several views.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a'perspective view of a rectangular piece of compo board,

the main body of which is composed of fiber and elaterite; and the' exterior portions of which are impregnated with paraffin; and Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing a specimen block or piece of board, composed solely of the fiber and the elaterite.

I produce this compo board in the following manner: I take vegetable fiber, preferably flax fiber,-and reduce the same into a finely divided condition or pulpv in an ordi-, nary beating engine. fiber pulp. I take .elaterite and dissolve the same in benzin. This is best done by boiling the elaterite in abody of benzin, with the use of a double boiler. I then thor oughly commingle the fiber pulp and the said liquor of elaterite, or dissolved elaterite, and -mold the product, under pressure, into any desired form. This will give the compo board of the composition attempted to be illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. If it is,

desired that the com 0 board shall be capabie of a smooth finisfi and high olish, then the-product as it comes from t e mold, is boiled in paraffin, with the result that the external portions of the compo board will become impregnated with the paraffin, thereby giving the product or compo board 2, which is attempted to be illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Elaterite is a, mineral which has I then dry the said become a well known article of commerce,

and which, because of its peculiar gummy or rubber like characteristics, is frequently called, in the trade, mineral rubber. Of the flax fiber pulp, I 'takeabout 200 pounds, for example, and thorough'ly-commingle the same with about 2% gallons of dissolved elaterite, and after the same is molded into form, get a product or piece of compo board which weighs about 205 pounds. g

This compo board, thus produced, has the hard, tough,'heavy, and strong. Its tensile strengthis substantially the same as cast gray iron, and its weight is about the same as lignum vitae. Its density is, if anything, greater than lignum vitae. It will not chip nor crack, nor break, but, under a crushing strain, would sim ly buckle up. It is waterproof, and un-d zir the action, of fire, will char, but will not blaze. It is a perfect nonconductor for electricity, up to any limit of voltage that I havebeen able to apply. I have tested .a block thereof, one-fourth inch thick, under a current of 16,000 volts, and the insulation was perfect. How much greater voltage the same block would have stood, I do. not know. It will hold its molded form in the atmosphere, under exposure to sun and rain, without deterioration and without warping; and it does not wa under exposure to artificial'heat, up to t e charring temperature. In view of these characteristics, it is especially adapted for use as an electrical insulator, and is also capable of general application in the arts as a substitute for wood and metal in many instances.

If the product as it comes from the mold, or as shown in Fig. 2, is boiled in paraffin,

following characteristics or features: it is thereby securing the product shown-in Fig. 1,

or a compo board having its exterior portions impre nated with parafiin, then the com o boar is susceptible of a very smooth finis and a hi h polish, well fitting the same for ornamenta purposes, such as for use in household furniture, office fittin s, desks,

etc.-, and is especially well adapted or use for razor hones and anti-friction bearings.

Flax fiber pulp suitable for this pur ose, can'be cheaply produced, because 0 the great abundance of flax straw; and the elaterite is also available, at a comparatively I low rice; and, hence, this compo board is capa le of being produced at a cost WhlCh enables the same to compete with wood and iron for many-kinds of use. My said compo board is therefore, not only new, but is a useful article of manufacture.

It will, of course, be understood that the proportions of the ingredients may be varied to a considerable extent, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is also possible that instead of benzin, some other suitable solvent may be employed for the elaterite. For some classes of use, such as for electrical insulation, the fiber pulp must be from flax; but for some other uses more or less wood or common straw pulp may be used with the flax fiber pulp.

So far as I know, the compo board or prod uct herein disclosed and claimed, can only be produced by the process herein disclosed an d claimed.

It will, of course, be understood that it is not possible accurately to represent the texture of the compo board in a drawing, hence the sections shown must be accepted as simply suggestive. In the actual board, the ingredients are thoroughly cominingled, so that the product has substantially a uniform texture throughout. The paraffin impregnation is intended to be indicated by the marginal in and out shade lines on the block 2 in Fig. 1; the surface shading thereof, on the face, is intended to indicate the polish or finish.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A compo board composed of fiber and elaterite, and having its outer surface portion impregnated with paraffin, substantially as described.

2. The process of producing a compo board composed of flax fiber and elaterite, and having its outer surface portion impregnated with parafiin, which consists in reducing the flax fiber to dry pulp, and the elaterite to liquid form, then thoroughly commingling the said ingredients, then molding the'same into form, under pressure, and then boiling the product in paraffin, substantially as described; In testimony whereof I afi'lx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. JAMES E. LAPPEN.

W itnesses:

C; PYE, GRANT BRONSON. 

